Teen deserted by deputies claims he was punched

When Irvin Landry Jr. learned that his son was arrested on a downtown Thibodaux street early Friday morning, he drove to the Lafourche Parish jail, ready to pay a bond and deliver a lecture.

But Drake Landry, who had turned 18 the previous day, never showed up at the jail. Only after hours of agonized waiting did the worried father learn that his son was instead brought by two sheriff’s deputies to a convenience-store parking lot at a deserted crossroads on the edge of a Chacahoula swamp.

The teen told investigators he was punched in the stomach while handcuffed, then released with a threat and words of warning. After the deputies deserted him, the teen alleges, he then walked seven miles through pre-dawn darkness to the home of a friend.

Sheriff Craig Webre fired the two deputies, William Constant and Jack Stewart, and each now faces a single charge of malfeasance in office, a felony.

Webre said in an interview this morning that the two deputies denied any acts of violence and told investigators they had made a lawful arrest for underage drinking and an open-container violation.

They released Drake Landry without booking him, investigators were told, because he pleaded with them for a break because it was his birthday.

Landry’s parents, however, say they believe their son.

"When I found out what happened, I just started crying. My God, I can’t believe somebody did this to my son," said Monica Landry, the teen’s mother, who broke down during a Monday interview which she recalled Friday’s events. "He could have been kidnapped, he could have been killed, and it still hurts."

Irvin Landry asked that his son not be interviewed pending discussion with an attorney.

CONDUCT WAY BEYOND

A statement issued by Webre’s office over the weekend says Constant and Stewart handcuffed the 18-year-old, whom they suspected of underage drinking, on the corner of St. Philip and Third streets. Instead of taking him to the jail, as procedures dictate, they drove him to the parking lot of Wilson’s Country Store on La. 20 in Terrebonne Parish, the statement says.

"From our perspective, we clearly, absolutely feel that the officers taking him out of the jurisdiction and leaving him in a desolate area constitutes conduct way beyond what is expected of an officer and appropriate to the criminal charge," Webre said.

Constant is an eight-year veteran, and Stewart, who recently transferred to patrol from the department’s work-release center, has been with the Sheriff’s Office for nearly three years. Each was a released on a $5,000 bond.

Repeated attempts to reach Constant and Stewart Monday were not successful.

Law-enforcement officials familiar with Constant said he was a respected supervisor and that the information contained in the allegations is "uncharacteristic."

But according to the account supplied by members of the Landry family, it was Constant who initiated and perpetrated the alleged criminal acts, while Stewart -- who was being trained for patrol by Constant -- merely looked on, doing nothing to stop it.

According to his father, Drake Landry left his home in the Manchester subdivision west of Thibodaux with friends some time Thursday -- his 18th birthday -- and traveled to Thibodaux despite warnings against doing so.

The phone in the Landry home rang about 2:10 a.m., and on the other line was a friend who said Drake was arrested. Irvin and Monica Landry called Thibodaux Police and the jail -- finding no information -- then dressed and drove to the town in their Chevrolet Tahoe.

They kept vigil at the jail, asking questions of employees who were courteous but had no information.

'I JUST STARTED CRYING’

One deputy at the jail told the worried parents that sometimes a deputy will handcuff a young person to scare them, perhaps drive them around a little, then release them. So the Landrys headed back home to await word, thinking that is what may have happened.

Shortly before 4 a.m., Irvin Landry, a heavy-equipment supervisor, left to head for his Baton Rouge-area job site.

Monica Landry made frantic phone calls, finally locating him at the home of a friend in Schriever, where the family once lived.

"I just started crying," she said.

Drake Landry told her he was approached by the two deputies, handcuffed, placed in the car and then driven to the Wilson’s parking lot. The store, which was closed at the time the teen was left there, is at Bull Run Road and La. 20. That’s more than 10 miles from the place where he was picked up and nowhere near his home, which is roughly midway between Napoleonville and Thibodaux.

There, he told his parents, Constant punched him three times in the stomach as he stood in the lot, while still handcuffed. After falling to the pavement, Landry told his parents, Constant undid the handcuffs and told him "You made me look like an ass down at Manchester, this is for that and next time I see you I am gonna kill you."

The elder Landry said the reference was to a July 7 incident, when Constant responded to the subdivision in response to a complaint from neighbors about youths riding four-wheelers. There were words between his son and the deputy, he said, but no criminal charge resulted at that time. The youth, then 17, responded to harsh words from the deputy by asking him "How would you like it if I had your uniform and I would be talking to you like that; how would you react?"

PUNCHING IN DISPUTE

After the deputies left, Drake Landry said, he walked seven miles to the home of a friend in Schriever, wearing shorts and a T-shirt. There were no businesses in the area, and he feared knocking on a door to ask for help because of fear someone would call police and that the deputies would return.

After being reunited with his son, Irvin Landry called the Sheriff’s Office, and a meeting with an investigator was arranged. Webre and Landry have spoken since then as well.

"The victim in this case did state to the investigator in his statement that he was punched in the stomach," Webre said. "Both officers adamantly deny any punching or use of force. That is an issue in dispute and a question of fact for the trier of fact to determine."

Irvin Landry said his son was examined by a doctor Saturday, and that X-rays revealed bruising in the abdominal area and a sprain in the back.

Webre has described the taking of the youth from the city street to the Chacahoula location as "incomprehensible" and said he is aware that the allegations against the deputies have had an effect on his entire department.

"Every time we confront a situation like this it affects the entire department from top to bottom," Webre said. "I will concur completely that both officers have stellar records, more than the average officer. This is so out of character. I don’t know of a single individual that is currently employed that I would ever expect to do something like this."

Webre noted that while he indeed fired the officers -- a step members of several law-enforcement agencies say is rarely taken in such situations -- the justice system still has plenty of work to do.

"Once a person enters the criminal-justice system as a criminal defendant then every single constitutional right applies, to the police officers as well," Webre said. "They are in no greater or lesser standing than any other citizen in that respect. The presumption of innocence, the right to remain silent and the right to confront and cross examine, and the right to a legal defense all apply."

Daily Comet staff writer Liz Hackenburg contributed to this report. John DeSantis can be reached at 448-7614 or john.desantis@dailycomet.com.